If your only experience with figs has been as cookie filling, you're missing out. Here's what's healthy about figs.
Figs, from ficus trees, are delicious, especially if you can find them fresh. And they offer lots of fiber and potassium, as well as some calcium, magnesium, iron, and other nutrients. Plus, they're rich in antioxidants. A study in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition scored dried figs (and apricots) as highest in overall nutrients, compared to other dried fruits.
Though fresh figs have more calories, ounce for ounce, than most other fruits—60 in 3 ounces—they are still low in calories. But dried figs, like other dried fruits, are a concentrated source of sugar and thus have far more calories—215 in 3 ounces. Watch out also for extra calories in canned figs packed in heavy syrup. Some people are sensitive to sulfites used as a preservative on dried figs; organic dried figs contain no sulfites.
Figs come in many varieties and range in color from pale green to purple-black on the outside and yellow to red inside. Marks on the skin are harmless; they occur when the figs rub up against leaves as they grow. Because they're picked fully ripe and are delicate, fresh figs spoil fast, so keep them refrigerated and eat them as soon as possible. You can freeze fresh figs, though this makes them softer. Dried figs are a good pantry staple—just make sure they don't become moldy.
Add figs to oatmeal, salads, chutneys, salsas, and rice, pasta, and couscous dishes; simmer them in water or juice; slice and broil them, or skewer and grill them. They're good paired with cheese and nuts, sprinkled over frozen yogurt, and chopped and baked into breads and muffins.
Other fig facts:
• People have been eating figs for at least 5,000 years—and fig bars since the late 19th century. In some parts of the world, people eat the leaves.
• Though they are called fruits, figs are actually "synconia"—inside-out structures with tiny flowers lining the inside; they contain as many as 1,600 seeds each.
• Figs have been used as medicine since ancient times, often as poultices for tumors, swellings, and skin disorders. Lab studies have shown anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties of fig compounds. And a study in the International Journal of Dermatology in 2007 found fig tree latex almost as good as cryotherapy (freezing) for warts, possibly due to its enzymes.
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